Mae Young passed away yesterday. CMLL has a note on her passing. Her career stretched so long, she wrestled in the building that proceeded Arena Coliseo in 1942. She returned in 1945 in the new Arena Coliseo, main eventing and selling out those shows.

I don’t care how annoying Hijo del Santo or Hijo del Santo’s wife are – if you’re doing a lucha libre Hall of Fame without El Santo, you are making yourself look dumb. (The criteria is “those who dignified lucha libre”, which makes it a nice change of pace Pena made it.) Maybe that was explained somewhere outside of this press article? Huracan Ramirez, Mil Mascaras and Black Shadow should also be on any list, and there are names on that list that I wouldn’t have considered as the first 24 people in a hall of fame.

Like this:

AAA was a major topic at an El Rey press conference. The show itself was announced for the third or fourth time, now with the Voice’s Mark Burnett being added as an executive producer. The start date was pushed back again, to a nebulous “second half of 2014”, but it’s been confirmed it’ll be taped in Los Angeles. There’s also talk of TV specials and PPVs.

Negro Casas defeated Titan to win the 2013(ish) Leyenda de Plata tournament, then defeated Volador Jr. the next week. Both matches were fun, though Volador’s tecnico turn doesn’t seem to be quite working. Negro is meanwhile feuding with Blue Panther and his recently debuted sons, and CMLL still occasionally brings up his signed but never resolved hair match with Rush. (Negro getting those big wins might have been a build up for that hair match, but it also might have just been CMLL randomness.)

CMLL/NJPW’s FantasticaMania tour kicked off. The opening show from Osaka on uStream iPPV without problems (besides the music muting) and sold out the building. There was talk abotu coming back to Osaka in a bigger building in 2015. The tour builds to weekend shows in Korakuen Hall, one of which will be on iPPV. Mistico is the favorite to beat Mephisto in one title match on the Saturday iPPV, while the Mascara Dorada & Voaldor Sunday title match (not iPPV) is more a toss up.

AAA hasn’t taped TV this year yet (that’ll happen Friday), but announced three TV tapings for late January and early February. Those include a previously unannounced show in the retown of Guerrero Negro, where the local big business is sponsring the show. All three shows include first round four way matches for this year’s Rey de Reyes matches. The lineups suggest Texano versus Mesias may be the next AAA mega title match, but not much is for sure.

Sin Cara’s contract ran out? Maybe? No one’s saying anything, though he was said to visit backstage at a recent CMLL show. Sin Cara has only announced he’s running a lucha show to celebrate the first anniversary of his gym.

CMLL’s debuted many new luchadors to start 2014. Black Panther, Cachorro, Dragon Lee, El Rebelde, Espiritu Negro, are all brothers or sons of current CMLL wrestlers. Star Jr. (son of indy wrestler Starboy) and Rey Hechicero (Monterrey luchador) have also been added to lineups. CMLL’s also now promoting it’s Tuesday Arena Mexico shows as Nuevo Valores Martes, focused on new stars.

Super Porky suffered a neck injury that should keep him out 15 days. He’s working anyway. Zacarias the parrot separately a head injury and is actually out for a couple weeks, and Astral is out after suffering a leg injury to end this year’s Pequeno Reyes del Aire (which was won by Electrico.)

Santo Jr. (the son of Hijo del Santo) said he plans on returning to Japan this summer and debuting in Mexico as Tempestad later this year.